Mister Smiley-Hands
by Vickychan
Summary: Papyrus wakes in the middle of the night to find a terrifying ghostly figure sitting on the end of his bed. Little does he know, this unusual man with holes in his palms will turn out to be his best friend.


**Author's Note:-**  
This was an idea I had for a comic or video... but I'm not sure if I'll get time to do that so I wrote it as a fic instead, I'm hoping it translated well. I cried a little bit when I wrote this. Don't judge me.

* * *

"MISTER SMILEY-HANDS! MISTER SMILEY-HANDS!"  
"Oh, Papyrus! Stop that noise! You'll wake your brother."  
"I WAS REALLY **REALLY** GOOD TODAY! PLEASE CAN YOU READ ME A STORY?"  
"Oh… I don't know. Sans did already read you one, after all…"  
"PLEASE? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE _**PLEASE**_?"  
"Huhuhu! Alright… Stop sulking, now. You'll never be a soldier like that. Now… What story would you like?"  
"THE ONE ABOUT THE IMAGINARY FRIEND."  
"Huhuhu, again? We had that one last night."  
"IT'S MY FAVOURITE! PLEASE PLEASE **PLEASE** –"  
"Alright, alright! Be quiet, now. Did you brush your teeth?"  
"YES! STOP STALLING!"  
"Huhuhu… Alright. Now, get comfortable. Here we go."

 _'Once upon a time, there was a very special little boy named –'  
'PAPYRUS!'  
'Are you telling the story or shall I?'  
'NYEH HEH… SORRY… YOU DO IT.'  
'Alright. A very special boy, named… … Papyrus!'  
'NYEH HEH HEH!'  
'One day, Papyrus awoke in the middle of the night to see a strange man sitting on his bed…'_

 _Gasp_. It was the middle of a particularly stormy night in the Skelebros's house, and a loud howl of the wind made the skeleton child Papyrus awaken with a start. He sat bolt upright in his bed, panting slightly from the sharp jolt of fear that had caused him to wake up so violently. He hated snowstorms… The wind always made such a creepy noise. Papyrus closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Was he… awake? Yeah… Yeah. He was awake. This must be his room. Papyrus could barely see in the dark, but he could feel his bed sheets around him, and he reached out to touch the side of his bed… Yeah. This was his bed. He recognised its feel. Papyrus relaxed a little, and was about to go back to sleep when his eyes adjusted to the dark, and revealed something… else. What… What was that…?  
"S-SANS…?" Papyrus whimpered.

 _'He thought it was his brother at first, but he was mistaken. This person was much more… handsome than his brother.'  
'NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!'  
'But nevertheless, little Papyrus was terribly afraid…'  
'I – I WAS NOT!'_

Papyrus's breathing stopped for a brief moment and his entire soul became flooded with dread. There was… a person there. A person that wasn't Sans. He was sitting on Papyrus's bed, staring at him with dark, ghoulish eyes and a strange smile. Papyrus started to tremble, the pupils of his eyes dilating as he became overcome with fear. He'd never felt so afraid in his entire life. There was a man in his room! There was a _**man in his room**_! " **SANS**!" Papyrus screamed to his older brother at the top of his voice, his small eyes already filling with tears. " _ **SANS**_ –"  
"Ssh!" The mysterious figure hissed, and moved closer to Papyrus. Papyrus whimpered loudly, his entire body shaking as he pressed his back against his headboard to get away from the figure. He ground himself so forcefully into the bed that he almost broke his own spine, and he dug his nails so deeply into the sheets that he almost ripped them. His breathing was short and fast; his eyes were filling with tears as he stared in horror at the terrifying phantom that was now only inches away from him. The man's face was all messed up. He had cracks on his head and a really big creepy smile – _**ahh**_!  
"YOU'RE A GHOST!" Papyrus yelled, and shut his tear-filled eyes tight. " **SANS**!"  
"No!" The figure gasped, clasping his hands over Papyrus's mouth. Papyrus tried to scream but the man's hands muffled his voice. The young boy's breathing became even more frantic as he struggled against the man's firm grip, desperately trying to escape. What did he want? Why was he trying to hurt him? Who was he! "I'm not a ghost!" The man whispered. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to scare you. Please, be quiet. I won't hurt you, I promise."  
"MMF!" Papyrus grunted against the man's cold hands.  
"Ssh, ssh…" The man soothed, trying his best to calm the terrified child. "It's okay. I won't hurt you, I promise." He studied Papyrus intently, which only seemed to distress the child more. "I'm sorry!" The man whispered, immediately regretting staring at Papyrus so. "You don't recognise me, do you?"  
" **NFF**!" Papyrus snarled against his hand. " _ **SNNS**_!"  
"Ssh!" The man gasped. "It's alright – I'm _not_ going to hurt you. I'm not a ghost, I… I'm –"

 _'JUST YOUR IMAGINATION!'  
'Huhu that's right. The man said he was just a figure of Papyrus's imagination, and he would go away whenever Papyrus wanted him to. So…'_

"I can't hurt you." The man promised. "There is absolutely no reason to be afraid. So please… Don't scream." He slowly removed his hands from Papyrus's mouth, sensing that the child was starting to calm down. "… There." The man smiled in satisfaction as he looked down at the silent Papyrus. "That's better, isn't it?"  
"WHO ARE YOU?" Papyrus demanded.  
"Why – I already told you." The man chuckled. "I'm just your imaginary friend, that's all."  
"BUT I NEVER MADE AN IMAGINARY FRIEND." Papyrus argued.  
"Well… perhaps you never needed one before." The man replied. "But if you didn't need me, then why would I be here? I'm just part of your subconscious."  
"SUB… SUB- **WHAT**?" Papyrus barked. "I DON'T KNOW THAT WORD!"  
"Oh… a subconscious is a secret part of you, one that you're not always aware of." The man explained. "For example… If you're having too much fun watching TV, so you don't realise you're hungry… your subconscious will make you ask for some spaghetti."  
"HOW DO YOU KNOW I LIKE SPAGHETTI?" Papyrus demanded.  
"Well – I'm your imaginary friend, of course!" The man grinned. "I know everything about you."  
… WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" Papyrus frowned, still somewhat reluctant to trust this stranger.  
"Well… that's up to you to decide." The man said. "You can call me whatever you like."

Papyrus sniffed back a few of his tears, and wiped his eyes, and then he looked at the man. Was this… really just his imagination? But… he normally imagined robots, or cars… Not scary men with weird hands and a creepy smile.  
"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HANDS?" Papyrus asked, noticing the gaping holes that were in each of the man's palms.  
"Oh, well…" The man uttered. "That is… of course…" He paused for a moment, as if he were trying to think of something to say. "… So that I can _see you_! Whoo!" He held his hands up to his face and looked at Papyrus through the gaps in his palms, widening his glowing white pupils for comic effect.  
"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus laughed. "ARE YOU HERE TO CHEER ME UP?"  
"Yes!" The man nodded. "Because I know that storm outside is oh so frightening – you've woken up four times already."  
"IT'S TOO LOUD…" Papyrus whimpered. "I DON'T LIKE IT."  
"Well, don't worry. I'm here now." The man smiled. "Now –"

 _Knock knock_. Papyrus gasped at the sound of knocking on his bedroom door.  
"pap?" His older brother's voice followed. "are you okay? did you call me?"  
"OH – YEAH!" Papyrus grinned, suddenly excited. "SANS – COME LOOK! I MADE A –"

 _'SSH!'_

Papyrus was suddenly cut off by the man shushing him fiercely.  
"No…" He whispered. "You can't tell Sans. I have to be a secret, otherwise I won't work."  
"REALLY?" Papyrus blinked. "I NEVER HEARD THAT."  
"Oh yes." The man nodded. "All imaginary friends must remain a secret. It's a very important rule."  
"… BUT…" Papyrus mumbled sadly. "I… WANT TO TELL SANS. I DON'T LIKE KEEPING SECRETS FROM HIM…"  
"Well…" The man sighed. He paused for a moment, trying to think of a satisfactory solution. "Alright." The man said. "But – he can't see me. So, how about you don't say anything tonight, and you can tell him about me tomorrow? Just… don't tell him what I look like."  
"WILL THAT WORK?" Papyrus grinned hopefully.  
"Huhuhu…" The man laughed. "Yes. It'll be fine."  
"pap?" Sans's voice came from outside the door. "you want me to come in?"  
"NOPE!" Papyrus called back. "I'M FINE! DON'T COME IN!"  
"you sure?"  
"YEP!" Papyrus answered enthusiastically. "GOODNIGHT, SANS!"  
"okay… goodnight, bro."

 _'DID HE MAKE UP A NAME FOR HIS FRIEND?'  
'Oh, yes of course! He called him…'_

"MISTER SMILEY-HANDS!" Papyrus yelled up at his ceiling. "MISTER SMILEY?" He leapt out of bed and bolted around the room in his pyjamas, searching every inch of his bedroom for the imaginary friend that had become part of his daily life for the past two months. He opened his closet, and wide grin swept across the young skeleton's face. Papyrus's pupils brightened with excitement as he anticipated what was about to come. "MISTER SMILEY…?" Papyrus whispered giddily, looking into the closet. Everything was perfectly still, all his clothes and shoes… But one thing was different. One thing looked like it could be an imaginary friend. There was a tall black coat in the closet, that didn't belong to Papyrus. Papyrus giggled excitedly, and followed the coat all the way up its length, past its pockets, and arms, and collar… and then,  
"Baaaaaaaa!"  
"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus laughed loudly as the coated figure jumped out at him and scooped the child up into his arms. "HIGHER!" Papyrus cried as Mister Smiley-Hands spun him around. "HIGHER!"  
"Huhuhu!" Mister Smiley-Hands laughed. "Oh! Pap – I'm getting dizzy." He set the child down, and pretended to lose his balance, stumbling across the room in an exaggerated fashion.  
"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus laughed.

 _'Mister Smiley-Hands was Papyrus's best friend. They did everything together. From the moment Papyrus woke up…'_

"Now come on." Mister Smiley-Hands scolded. He looked down at Papyrus with a stern expression on his face as the young boy stood over the bathroom sink with his toothbrush in his hand. Papyrus hadn't been awake long, and he was still wearing his pyjamas. "You need to brush them more than that."  
"HUMPH!" Papyrus huffed in annoyance. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FUN."  
"I am." Mister Smiley-Hands answered. "Brushing our teeth is fun."  
"IS NOT." Papyrus sulked, but continued brushing his teeth all the same.

 _'… Until the moment he went to sleep.'_

"there you go." Sans said, tucking his younger brother into bed. "you want a story, kiddo?"  
"NOPE. IT'S OKAY." Papyrus grinned. "MISTER SMILEY-HANDS SAID HE'D READ ME ONE."  
"heh. him again, huh?" Sans sniggered. "he sure is making my job easy for me. okay." He handed Papyrus a story book, assuming Papyrus was going to read it himself. Not that he could read very well… He mostly just described the pictures. "goodnight then, pap. say hi to mister smiley for me."  
"IT'S SMILEY- **HANDS**!" Papyrus huffed.  
"heh. sorry. smiley-hands." Sans smirked, and left the room. _"wow."_ He thought to himself. _"that kid's got one hell of an imagination. where does he get it from?"_  
"OKAY!" Papyrus whispered to the room when Sans had gone. "YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!"  
"Wonderful." Mister Smiley-Hands spoke as he emerged from thin air. He sat down on Papyrus's bed and picked up the book. "Now. Are you sitting comfortably?"  
"YEAH." Papyrus nodded.  
"Brushed your teeth?"  
"YOU KNOW I DID!" Papyrus barked. "STOP STALLING!"  
"Huhuhu…" Mister Smiley-Hands laughed. "Alright then. Here we go – and this time, I want you to really focus on the letters. Then maybe next time you can read it yourself."  
"OKAY."

 _'He went everywhere with him outdoors…'_

 _Hop. Splash. Hop_! Papyrus's eyes were bright with glee as he jumped through the shallow parts of the waterfall, watching the way the water rippled and sparkling under the dim light.  
"Be careful." Mister Smiley-Hands said. "You don't want to get your clothes wet. You really ought to be wearing different boots for that."  
"SANS SAID THESE ARE RAIN BOOTS." Papyrus answered.  
"Did he…?" Mister Smiley-Hands uttered, not at all convinced as he looked at Papyrus's shoes, which seemed to be getting wetter and wetter.  
"YEP. BECAUSE THEY'RE GREAT FOR CATCHING RAIN." Papyrus beamed.  
"I see…" Mister Smiley-Hands sweat dropped. "… Well. Come on. Let's get you home – you don't want Sans to worry about you…"

 _'And he even went everywhere with him indoors.'_

"you okay, bro?" Sans asked, looking at Papyrus as the young boy sat in front of the TV with a bowl of spaghetti.  
"SANS, CAN I EAT IN THE KITCHEN?" Papyrus asked.  
"sure, but… don't you want to see your show?" Sans replied.  
"NOPE. IT'S OKAY. IF I GO AWAY FROM YOU, MISTER SMILEY-HANDS CAN HAVE SOME SPAGHETTI TOO."  
"oh. well… he can eat here, can't he?" Sans shrugged. "in fact – hey!" He turned to look at the empty space on the sofa next to him, and grinned. "hi, mister smiley-hands. we were just talking about you. why don't you sit here with us and help pap finish his spaghetti?"  
"STOP IT SANS, YOU CAN'T SEE HIM!" Papyrus yelled, and stormed into the kitchen with his bowl of spaghetti. Sans let out a sigh, and lay down on the sofa.  
"welp." He shrugged to himself, sniggering slightly. "whatever." He closed his eyes and started to doze off, vaguely amused by the sound of Papyrus's voice coming from the kitchen as he spoke to his imaginary friend.

 _'He made Papyrus feel safe when there was a storm outside.'_

 _Whoosh_! _Thud_! Papyrus flinched at the sound of branches hitting his bedroom window as the outside trees blew wildly in a violent snowstorm.  
"Are you okay, Papyrus?" Mister Smiley-Hands asked, sitting up in bed next to the child.  
"YEAH." Papyrus nodded, becoming less afraid of the storm as he snuggled up against Mister Smiley-Hands. He yawned, and closed his eyes. "BUT YOU'LL STAY HERE, RIGHT?"  
"Of course." Mister Smiley-Hands nodded. "But you don't need me, you know. I don't think you're afraid of storms anymore."  
"JUST…" Papyrus replied sleepily. "S… STAY…"  
"Hm." Mister Smiley-Hands chuckled, and patted Papyrus's skull. "Very well."

 _'He made Papyrus laugh when he felt upset…'_

"Cheer up, Papy." Mister Smiley-Hands said softy. He knelt down beside Papyrus as the young boy sat alone in the wishing room of the Underground, staring up at the stars with a sad expression on his face.  
"MY WISH DIDN'T COME TRUE…" Papyrus sulked.  
"Well, what did you wish for?" Mister Smiley-Hands asked.  
"IF I TELL YOU, IT WON'T COME TRUE." Papyrus frowned.  
"Hm." Mister Smiley-Hands mused. "Yes, you have a point there." He paused for a moment, trying to think of what to do. "… I know." He looked at Papyrus. "If I help your wish come true, will you tell it to me?"  
"WHAT IF YOU CAN'T?" Papyrus argued. "THEN I WOULD HAVE SPOILT IT FOR NOTHING!"  
"I promise, I can help." Mister Smiley-Hands assured. "Look… You can trust these eyes, can't _youuuu_?" He raised his voice in a silly tone, making his pupils wide and bright as he placed the gaps in his palms over his eyes.  
"NYEH HEH!" Papyrus laughed, as he always did when Mister Smiley-Hands did that. "FINE!" He giggled, suddenly cheered up. He looked down, but as he thought about his wish, his face started to sadden again. "I… I WISHED… FOR A FRIEND."  
"What…?" Mister Smiley-Hands uttered, slowly lowering his palms. He looked at Papyrus in concern, his voice softening. "But… Papyrus, you do have a friend."  
"I DON'T MEAN YOU!" Papyrus whined. "I MEAN **REAL** FRIENDS!"  
"Well – you have those too!" Mister Smiley-Hands insisted. "What about Sans?"  
"HE'S NOT MY FRIEND! HE'S MY BROTHER!" Papyrus argued.  
"So does that mean he's not allowed to be your friend?" Mister Smiley-Hands questioned.  
"WELL…" Papyrus grunted. "NO, BUT… IT'S NOT THE SAME AS A REAL FRIEND."  
"Hm." Mister Smiley-Hands uttered. "I suppose not." He paused for a moment once more, and Papyrus's face sank in disappointment.  
"SEE!" Papyrus yelled, suddenly infuriated. "YOU **CAN'T** HELP! I JUST SPOILT MY WISH FOR NOTHING!"  
"Oh, on the contrary…" Mister Smiley-Hands smirked, and tapped Papyrus's nose. "Come with me, Papy. I have an idea."

 _'And he helped Papyrus make friends.'_

"MISTER SMILEY-HANDS, WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?" Papyrus groaned, and kicked his feet impatiently into the ground of his new surroundings, the Underground's waterfall.  
"Look." Mister Smiley-Hands replied, and pointed. Papyrus followed his hand, to a girl in the distance… Wait – he knew her. That was Undyne, she was the coolest kid in the Underground! She was standing near the cascading water of the waterfall, practicing her battle moves with a wooden spear. "There." Mister Smiley-Hands said. "Your new friend."  
"WHAT? NO WAY!" Papyrus gasped. "ARE YOU NUTS? SHE'S LIKE THE TOUGHEST KID EVER! SHE'D NEVER MAKE FRIENDS WITH ME!"  
"Well… have you ever asked her?" Mister Smiley-Hands replied.  
"NO! I KNOW SHE'LL SAY NO!" Papyrus pouted.  
"Papy… You'll never make any friends if you don't try." Mister Smiley-Hands sighed. "Now go on." He softly pushed the young boy towards Undyne. "Go and talk to her."  
"NO!" Papyrus yelled, backing away. "I DON'T WANT TO!"  
"Oh, dear…" Mister Smiley-Hands hummed, and looked at Papyrus in exaggerated disappointment. "I never thought you were a coward."  
"I… I'M NOT." Papyrus frowned.  
"Well… you're afraid of a little girl." Mister Smiley-Hands chuckled. "Look at her – there's nothing to be scared of."  
"I'M NOT SCARED!" Papyrus yelled stubbornly.  
"Well then, prove it." Mister Smiley-Hands said. "Go and ask her if you can play."  
"…" Papyrus looked over at Undyne reluctantly. Nyeh… He didn't know what to do! She was really cool, way too cool to hang out with Papyrus, but… he didn't want Mister Smiley-Hands to think he was a _coward_ … "FINE." Papyrus pouted. "BUT IF SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BE MY FRIEND… THEN YOU HAVE TO BUY ME TEN ACTION FIGURES?"  
"Ten?" Mister Smiley-Hands gasped, and chuckled. "Huhu… Well, I suppose I'd better hope she wants to be your friend. Now…" He smiled down at Papyrus. "Go on."

Papyrus hesitated for a moment, building up the courage to do it. He took a deep breath and braced himself, and made his way over to Undyne. Undyne didn't even look up when Papyrus approached her; she simply carried on practicing her spear skills as she spoke, too engrossed in her training to meet his eyes.  
"Hey." She uttered.  
"UH… H-HI…" Papyrus stammered nervously.  
"What do you want?" Undyne asked coldly, still not looking at him.  
"I… I WAS… JUST WONDERING, IF…" Papyrus mumbled, staring at the ground with his cheeks getting darker by the second. "IF YOU… WANT TO… BE FRIENDS?"  
"Huh?" Undyne stopped dead in her tracks, and looked at Papyrus for the first time. "… Friends?" She blinked.  
"Y… YEAH." Papyrus nodded, and moved his eyes up to her. "BUT – IF YOU DON'T WANT TO, IT'S OKAY! I – I KNOW I'M NOT COOL, AND I… I'M SORRY!" He gasped, so flustered he almost started crying. "I'M SO SORRY! I… I SHOULD GO –"  
"Why do you want to be my friend?" Undyne questioned. "Nobody ever wants to be my friend." She looked at Papyrus curiously, which made him a little nervous. Why was she staring at him like that…? "Aren't you… scared of me?" Undyne asked.  
"UH…. KIND OF." Papyrus nodded. "BUT WE… WE CAN STILL BE FRIENDS. I MEAN… IF YOU WANT."  
"… Okay." Undyne shrugged.  
"REALLY?!" Papyrus cried, his pupils lighting up so brightly they almost blinded her.  
"Yeah." Undyne smiled. "I never had a friend before. It might be fun – hey!" She grinned. "Are you good at spears?"  
"SPEARS…?" Papyrus repeated questionably.  
"Yeah. This." Undyne held up her wooden spear for Papyrus to see. "It's a really cool weapon, you need cool weapons if you want to be in the Royal Guard." She moved into a fighting stance, readying her spear. "I'm going to be in the Royal Guard when I grow up."  
"WHAT'S THE ROYAL GUARD?" Papyrus asked.  
"It's where all the cool kids go…" Undyne smirked, and her eyes twinkled darkly. "And they learn to do **this**!"  
" **AAHH**!" Papyrus screamed as Undyne hurled her spear at him, and he jumped out of the way just in time to avoid being impaled. "HEY!" Papyrus gasped. "S-STOP!"  
"Fufufufufu!" Undyne laughed and she threw attack after attack at Papyrus, all of which he was narrowly avoiding. "Hey, you're good at this!" She beamed, and tossed her spear to him. "You try!"  
"UH… WON'T IT HURT YOU?" Papyrus replied cautiously.  
"That depends on how good you are." Undyne grinned wickedly. "Go ahead."  
"O… KAY." Papyrus uttered, and he lunged the spear at her. "HYA!"  
"Missed me!" Undyne exclaimed as she jumped out of the way.  
"HYA!"  
"Missed again!"  
" **NYEH**!" Papyrus grinned as he threw another attack at Undyne, and before long the waterfall became filled with the sound of their laughter.

 _'BUT NO MATTER HOW MANY FRIENDS PAPYRUS MADE, MISTER SMILEY-HANDS WAS ALWAYS THE BEST!'  
'Huhuhu… Is that so?'  
'YEP!'_

Papyrus looked up at Mister Smiley-Hands, who was approaching the end of his story. "IT'S A LOT LESS PAINFUL BEING YOUR FRIEND. UNDYNE'S KIND OF ROUGH…" Papyrus said. Mister Smiley-Hands simply laughed.  
"I'll take your word for it, Pap." He smiled.  
"SO WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IN THE STORY?" Papyrus asked.  
"Oh." Mister Smiley-Hands grinned. "Well… I think that will have to wait until tomorrow."  
"I WANT PAPYRUS TO HAVE SPAGHETTI TOMORROW!" Papyrus demanded.  
"Oh!" Mister Smiley-Hands chuckled in amusement. "I'm sure he will. Now…" He reached over to place his hand on the young skeleton's head. "Goodnight, Papy –" Suddenly… He froze. His hand…

Papyrus looked at Mister Smiley-Hands's hand, which seemed to have disappeared into Papyrus's skull.  
"HEY." Papyrus frowned. He flung his own hand into Mister Smiley-Hands's arm, and it went straight through him, as if he wasn't even there. "THAT'S HAPPENING AGAIN! YOU'RE… IN… TANGIBLE?" He spoke questioningly, not sure if that was the right word.  
"Very good." Mister Smiley-Hands nodded, pleased with how well Papyrus's vocabulary was coming along. He was getting so good at reading and speaking… "Keep learning new words, Pap. You might need them when you become a solider."  
"BUT IT'S EVEN WORSE TODAY!" Papyrus gasped, noticing that he could actually see his bed sheets through Mister Smiley-Hands. "YOU'RE LIKE A GHOST!"  
"Yes…" Mister Smiley-Hands nodded sadly. "I suppose I am."

 _'Well… It didn't take Mister Smiley-Hands long to realise what was happening. You see, he wasn't really part of this world. He wasn't part of any world any more. A long time ago, before he had become Papyrus's friend, he was a real man… A man who was involved in a very bad accident. He became trapped in a void, scattered across space and time, and as a result he was neither here nor there. For a while, it was rather fun. He could hop in and out of points in time, anywhere in the world, and he could come and go as he pleased, so he was always able to visit Papyrus anytime and anywhere. However… living outside of space and time for so long was beginning to have a very serious effect on him. The longer he spent in the void, the more it began to… take him. Little by little, he lost his grip on the world… and he knew it wouldn't be long before he was vanished from Papyrus's life completely.'_

"I'm sorry, Papyrus…" Mister Smiley-Hands uttered softly. "I think our friendship may be coming to an end."  
"WHAT?" Papyrus gasped. "WHY?"  
"Oh, come now. You know why. Look at me, Papy…" Mister Smiley-Hands said. "I can't even hold your storybooks anymore."  
"THAT DOESN'T MATTER!" Papyrus insisted. "I CAN HOLD THEM, AND YOU CAN READ!"  
"Well… Papyrus, I think you're old enough to read them yourself, aren't you?" Mister Smiley-Hands replied. "You're so good at reading these days."  
"BUT I LIKE IT WHEN **YOU** READ IT!" Papyrus whined.  
"I know you do…" Mister Smiley-Hands sighed. He tried with all his might to hold back his own despair. The last thing in the world he wanted was to make this any harder than it needed to be. "But… Look, Papyrus. I'm disappearing before your very eyes." He looked at Papyrus with a soft smile, his bright pupils steadily dimming. "I don't think you need me anymore."  
"NO!" Papyrus shrieked, as tears started to form in his eyes. "I… I DO!"

 _'Oh, how Papyrus wept when Mister Smiley-Hands told him they couldn't be friends anymore. How Mister Smiley-Hands had wanted to tell Papy the truth. The truth about who he was, and where he had come from, and what had happened to him, and how he had known Papyrus before… But, what was the point? It would only confuse Papyrus, and Mister Smiley-Hands would still have to say goodbye either way. So… He thought it best to leave it, and let Papyrus continue to believe that Mister Smiley-Hands was nothing more than a figment of his imagination. Someone he could… forget.'_

"Now, now." Mister Smiley-Hands said softly. "Stop that crying. You'll never become a soldier if you cry."  
"B-BUT…" Papyrus sniffed. "WHY ARE YOU GOING? I WANT YOU TO STAY."

 _'After all, Papyrus had grown so much by now. He wasn't afraid of storms anymore, and he had real friends… He didn't need Mister Smiley-Hands anymore.'_

"Papy…" Mister Smiley-Hands uttered, trying his best to fight back his own tears. He could feel himself fading. He could feel the void pulling him in, away from the real world. Away from Papyrus and Sans. He knew he wouldn't be able to come back out this time. He knew this was goodbye. "I am just a creation of your imagination, that's all." Mister Smiley-Hands said. "I was there when you needed me, and now you don't. You aren't afraid of storms any more, are you?"  
"SOMETIMES…" Papyrus said quietly, looking away.  
"No, you're not. You know you're not." Mister Smiley-Hands replied. "And you have a wonderful friend in Undyne, and you have your big brother to read you a bedtime story – you can even read it yourself." He smiled at Papyrus softly, his eyes in agony as he refused to let his tears show. "They will always be there for you, Papyrus. I'm sorry… I can't be." Out of habit he reached out to touch Papyrus, and he flinched when he saw his own hand disappear right before his very eyes.  
"M… MISTER SMILEY-HANDS…" Papyrus sobbed, his pupils widening as Mister Smiley-Hands faded more and more. "PLEASE!" He begged. "DON'T LEAVE ME!"  
"I love you, Papy…" Mister Smiley-Hands whispered. "Have a good life, for me."  
"NO…" Papyrus sobbed, and he tried his best to hold back his own tears. He couldn't cry. He wanted to be a soldier! Soldiers didn't cry! But he couldn't help it… He felt bad, but he couldn't stop the tears escaping from his eyes as he watched Mister Smiley-Hands fade away.

 _'Best to leave everything as it was. Let Papyrus grow up, and forget all about Mister Smiley-Hands.'_

Elsewhere in the universe, in a dark void that was neither here nor there, the lonesome figure that was Mister Smiley-Hands sat all by himself, watching the real world go by. He couldn't leave this place. He was bound to it now; he was one with it. He couldn't go out to the real world, no matter how hard he tried… But he could watch it. He could see Papyrus, from afar. He laughed as he watched the boy. The first month or so had been difficult for Papyrus, without Mister Smiley-Hands to talk to, but…

 _'Sure enough, that was what happened. Over time, as Papyrus grew older, and made new friends of his own…'_

"Psst! Pap!" A loud whisper came through the darkness of the night, and the young Papyrus felt a kick against his legs. "Are you still awake?"  
"I AM NOW!" Papyrus yawned, and sat up in his bed. He looked over at Undyne, who was sleeping on the other end of his bed after they'd been playing soldiers together all day and were well and truly worn out. Well… sort of.  
"You want to sneak out to the waterfall?" Undyne grinned.  
"NO…" Papyrus groaned, lying back down. "TOO FAR."  
"Okay… fine." Undyne huffed. She sounded kind of sulky. … … Hm. Papyrus grinned as an idea came to his head; it was the perfect compromise.  
"BUT…" He began, and sat up again. "WE CAN PLAY WITH MY ACTION FIGURES!"  
"Okay, cool!" Undyne exclaimed, and eagerly jumped out of bed.  
"BUT BE QUIET!" Papyrus pleaded. "OTHERWISE YOU'LL WAKE SANS –"  
" _ **Hyaaa**_!" Undyne cried at the top of her voice, excitedly hurling the figures into action.  
"guys, are you awake?" Sans's voice came from outside the room.  
"NO!" Papyrus and Undyne replied simultaneously.  
"okay." Sans answered. "just checking."

 _'He forgot all about Mister Smiley-Hands.'_

"SANS!" An older Papyrus screamed, barely believing his eyes. "OH MY GOD! IS THAT… A HUMAN!?"  
"uhhhh… actually i think that's a rock." Sans answered from beside him.  
"OH." Papyrus uttered, disappointed.  
"hey, what's that in front of the rock?" Sans asked.  
"OH MY GOD!" Papyrus wailed.

 _'Well, he didn't need him anymore.'_

Out on the Surface, the grown up Papyrus stared in awe at a giant yellow ball in the sky. The air was so fresh up here, and the view was more beautiful than Papyrus could have ever imagined. Standing with all of his friends, Papyrus felt so happy and free, more than he ever thought he would.  
"HEY SANS…" He began. "WHAT'S THAT GIANT BALL?"  
"we call that 'the sun,' my friend." Sans answered.  
"THAT'S THE SUN!?" Papyrus exclaimed, his eyes alight with excitement. "WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY MEETING THE SUN!"

 _'And Mister Smiley-Hands was glad. Very glad. Papyrus was happy, after all. His little boy… His little Papy, and his little Sans. It was all Mister Smiley-Hands had ever wanted for them. Or…_ _W._ _, as he had previously been known. All he wanted was for them to be happy.'_

 _Vroom_! Free at least and filled with excitement, Papyrus was finally driving a race car down a long highway on the Surface, just like he'd always dreamed of. His delight was short-lived however, when a playful Sans overtook him on his bike and drove in front of Papyrus, much to Papyrus's frustration. Papyrus flailed angrily and slammed his foot down on the accelerator, determined to catch up to his brother.

 _'… And they were.'_

"Huhuhu." Gaster chuckled to himself as he watched the scene, amused by the high-speed game of chase that Papyrus and Sans were now playing. Those two never failed to amuse him. … Hm. Gaster smiled softly as he watched the skelebros enjoying their life on the Surface. It was such a joy to watch them… Even if it did cause a few tears to form in Gaster's eyes.

 _'Oh…'_

"What a lovely ending." Gaster whispered. He blinked back his tears and wiped his eyes, letting out another soft laugh as he watched his children from the dark loneliness of the void.


End file.
